Home → Main News ( October 15, 2025 )
October is in full swing at Susquehanna Community Elementary School, and the Halloween spirit is alive and thriving! From music and dancing to creative classroom projects, students and families are enjoying a month filled with festive fun.
The festivities kick off on Sunday, October 26, 2025, with the Parent Involvement Committee’s Spooktacular Halloween Dance from 3:30pm - 5:30pm. Students are invited to come in costume and dance the afternoon away with friends, enjoying games, music, and a celebration of the season. The fun continues right outside with the High School Student Council’s Trunk or Treat, where families can safely collect candy from creatively decorated car trunks. Both events are free for all SCSD students and families, making them an ideal way to kick off the Halloween weekend. Parents are reminded that a parent or guardian must be present at all times for these two events.
On Friday, October 31, the excitement continues with the school hosting a Costume Parade. Students will march from the elementary school to the high school and back, proudly showing off their imaginative outfits. Parents, grandparents, and other family members are welcome to attend the outdoor portion of the parade, making it a perfect opportunity to cheer on their little ghouls, superheroes and pumpkins.
But the Halloween fun doesn’t stop there! Third-grade teachers Ms. Testa and Mrs. Soden have incorporated a creative twist into the classroom with a “Spooky House Project.” Students worked with their families to build miniature haunted houses, which are now inspiring a descriptive writing assignment. This is allowing students to practice their writing skills while sharing their spooky creations.
Students in Ms. Testa and Mrs. Soden’s third grade classes with their haunted houses
The students’ projects are as imaginative as they are eerie. Shianne Colwell described her haunted house: “If someone was brave enough to go into the house, they would most likely be eaten by the bat that I added. They might also hear a skeleton yelling because my brother pulled off his leg when we were working on the project.” Keegan Kennedy reflected on the construction process, saying, “Gathering all of the moss that I used for the roof was the most challenging part of the project.” And for Carmine Cicon, the creepiest part of his creation is the first floor, which he said “has bones, rats and ghosts there.”
Through these projects, students are not only celebrating Halloween but also learning to combine creativity, family collaboration, and writing skills in a meaningful way. The combination of classroom activities, dances, parades, and community events makes October at Susquehanna Community Elementary School a month to remember. With so many engaging activities, the school is ensuring that the Halloween season is safe, fun, and full of memorable experiences for students, families, and the community alike.
Since its inception several years ago, the Take a Bite Out of Christmas Tours as a part of Christmas in Montrose, the planning committee has appreciated and listened to suggestions from you, the public. As a result, updates have been planned to make the Friday night tours even better. Depending on which tour you choose, you will experience a different mode of transportation as well as learning a piece of the rich history of Montrose at each stop.
The festively decorated Courthouse at the top of Public Avenue is just one of the holiday sites visitors will see when at the Christmas in Montrose celebration
Those participants lucky enough to get tickets for one of the tours are encouraged to dress in their most festive holiday attire or period costume for their journey. This is a rain or snow event, and participants should dress warmly and appropriate for the weather.
As you travel from one spot to another, you will have the opportunity to not only experience charming homes, historic buildings, and beautiful churches but also view homes and businesses decorated for the holidays, some of which are a part of the “Light Up Montrose” decorating contest.
All tours are adults only, you must be at least 21 years of age.
Tour #1 “Snowflake Express”
Participants will check in at the Information Booth at the Christmas Village on the Green at 4:45pm where they will be picked up to start the tour promptly at 5:00pm.
Participants will board a hay wagon and travel to different homes while hearing stories, singing carols, and making merry along the way. The tour begins at the Pink Arrow Art Gallery, then to the beautiful Community Foundation, an undertaker's barn and1816 house, the former Silver Lake Bank in Montrose, and home of The Center for Antislavery Studies (CASS) where food will be served.
Tour #2 “History Mystery Christmas Tour”
This is a walking tour so please be sure to dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Participants will check in at the Information Booth at the Christmas Village on the Green at 4:45pm. This strolling tour begins at 5:00pm sharp at the Historical Society Museum which is a short walking distance from the Green. Have fun dressing up as a Montrose citizen of the past while trying to solve "who did it?" Guests will walk to the theater and then stroll up and down the avenue to hear stories and learn about the town’s history while gathering clues. The Tannery will be a stop where participants will enjoy a delicious chicken pot pie meal at the Busy Bee Café. Then on to the historic “Relic” where the mystery will be solved and participants can enjoy desserts and drink and the festive atmosphere.
Tour #3 “The Silver Bells Historic Church Tour”
The tour begins at 4:00pm with light snacks at the Montrose Bible Conference where parking is available. Participants will hop on the “Church Bus” and experience church in a new way! They will take a ride through the local church history and visit several of the area churches and former meeting grounds, while listening to stories of history, mystery and more. A variety of hosts will walk participants through the history of the buildings, their parishioners, and rich beginnings as well as experiencing an old-fashioned tent meeting. Some of the churches included are the AME Zion, Baptist, Episcopal, Presbyterian as well as radio station WPEL and then back to the Montrose Bible Conference.
All the tour participants can bring a blanket and should dress warmly and appropriately for the weather. After the tour participants are invited to the beautifully restored “Relic” on Church Street for holiday drinks and desserts.
Don’t be one of those disappointed individuals because you didn’t get their tickets soon enough. You must be 21 years old for the ticket-only Friday night tours on December 5th. Tickets are required for visitors who will be welcomed by the homeowners and given some historical facts about their site.
More details and directions for parking will be provided via email upon purchase of your ticket.
Sorry - no refunds given.
According to Business Manager Tom Witiak, Liberty Mutual quoted a four-fold increase in premium for its insurance product suite for the Mountain View School District. So, at the October School Board meeting on the 6th, he recommended, and the Board approved, a switch to Acrisure, an insurance brokerage, that he said would yield a savings of some $140,000.
But that was later. The meeting opened, as it usually does during the school year, with a report from the high school’s student government (SGA) representative, this time Caroline Symuleski, who read verbatim from a 4-page compendium of doings in the schools.
The treasurer’s report that followed showed a healthy balance in the general fund at the end of September of almost $4.5 million, reflecting receipts of $5.3 million as against expenditures of $3.2 million.
One curious item on the agenda was a grant-funded program offered by Integrative Mind and Body Services (IMBS), a non-profit organization founded and led by Alyse Kerr, serving northeastern and central Pennsylvania. The program will be offered to students at no charge; to adults for a fee. According to the IMBS website, the program “utilizes neurofeedback and biofeedback therapies to help people maximize their potential, increase self-awareness of their physiological and psychological functioning” using “external machines or sensors to monitor and measure changes in the body (biofeedback) or the brain (neurofeedback).”
Among other items on the agenda:
The district’s gargantuan new Maintenance Supervisor, Tim Chidester, offered a detailed report, concluding with an announcement that the schools will be heated with local natural gas by the end of the month. Connection with Leatherstocking’s supply lines has been completed to the Elementary School building, with the High School building coming on-line very soon. In response to a question from the Board, Mr. Chidester said that it would take at least a year to fully evaluate the savings from this investment.
(Incidently, Dan Very, chair of the Board’s Building and Site Committee, who usually simply defers to the Maintenance Supervisor for a report, resigned his seat on the Board a few months ago, hoping to take on the job of Maintenance Supervisor following the resignation of Bob Taylor. The Board chose Mr. Chidester instead, and then gave Mr. Very his seat back on the Board.)
Michael Talabiska summarized new policies for review, including one titled “Standards for Persistently Dangerous Schools.” Most of these policy changes are recommended by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) and do not necessarily reflect anything specific to one school district. In this case, Dr. Elia assured the Board that “we are not” a “persistently dangerous school.”
For one item, approving a list of substitutes (not teachers), a Board member called for a roll call vote, unusual for this Board, which usually takes a simple voice vote on each agenda item. Of the substitutes listed one was turned down almost unanimously without comment.
In administrator reports, High School Principal Mark Lemoncelli said that some students, reflecting on the usual recognition of students of the month, have suggested adding a “Teacher of the Month” award.
Dr. Bridget Frounfelker, the new Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Federal Programs, Security & Safety, and maybe a few other things, reported that she had visited all designated evacuation sites. These are locations that will receive students in the event of an emergency on the campus; the sites are not publicly identified for security reasons.
At the very end of the meeting, Ken Decker, as First Vice President presiding over the meeting in the absence of Jason Richmond, noted that an executive session preceding the public meeting discussed an employee suspension and possible litigation.
The next public meeting of the Mountain View School Board is scheduled for Monday, November 3, 2025 beginning at 7:00pm in the Zick Boardroom in the Elementary School building.